Dell PowerEdge 2450 & Win2k3

rileymartin

Help!

I tried installing Windows Server 2003 and each time I get the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 logo and the little status bar moving from left to right and that's when I get a stop error, or the system hangs. I tried the installation about 20 times so far with same result. I ran full diagnostics from the utility partition and no errors were reported on any hardware. During the server installations I tried the following so far:

1) Swapped out memory, hard drives, SCSI back plane.
2) Updated PERC & BIOS firmware.
3) Tried installing with the PERC and also tried installing using the onboard SCSI conroller.
4) Installed using server assistant.
5) Installed not using server assistant.
6) Tried windows server 2003 microsoft original media.
7) Tried windows server 2003 sp1 slipstream.
Tried installing as NTFS.
9) Tried installing as FAT32.

I'm out of ideas on what to do/try. I haven't been able to find any useful information on Dell or Microsoft or anywhere else. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Any help would be greatly appreicated. Thanks.

sprkymrk

Did you buy this server new? Have you tried installing W2K3 by using the Dell Server Setup Assistant?

Could you have a damaged install CD?

Mishra

Try a different CD drive.

blargoe

I remember having problems getting 2003 to install on a Dell x450 server (I think it was a 6450, but basically the same thing). We could not get it to install on any 6450 by using the Server Assistant CD, but we could get it done using the Windows disc.

When you installed using the PERC, did you use the drivers that came built in with Windows 2003, or did you create a driver disk using the latest drivers for your model of PERC controller? Since you updated the firmware, there may be a driver requirement that you use the latest driver from Dell.

rileymartin

I'm using the latest server assist CD from Dell. The filename I downloaded is 4.5_ISM_A00.ISO. I am using that along with a slipstream I made of Win2k3 Enterprise server sp1. Both the server assist CD and Win2k3 CDs work fine for installations on a PowerEdge 2550. Just not with this 2450.

Sometimes I get the following error:

*** Hardware Malfunction

Call your hardware vendor for support

*** The system has halted

I get this error after the windows setup process. After copying the files from the Windows server 2003 sp1 CD the server reboots, I get the Windows logo status screen, it finishes copying files and then goes to the grey screen where it says the following:

The type of the file system is FAT32
A disk check has been scheduled.
To skip disk checking, press any key within 10 seconds
Windows will now check the disk.
Volume serial Number is 4715-FF7E
Windows is verifying files and folders...
3 percent completed..

Usually it hangs during the countdown. For the first time it actually started checking the drives but hung after 3%. I just rebooted and it got past the countdown and got hung right after saying Windows is verifying files and folders... Usually it just hangs and every once in a while I get a stop error. After a few reboots I got it to produce the below stop error:

MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION

STOP 0x0000009c (0x00000001, 0xF772D2B0, 0XB2000000, 0X00000115)

I checked out all the connections again, re-connected everything, CPU's, voltage regulator, all data/power cables... Everything....

One thing I did fined was that the two CPUs in this Dell server are labled Compaq. I bought this server used and now I found there are Compaq CPUs in this server. I guess a CPU is a CPU. I don't know if CPUs are manufactured differently for Dell and Compaq.

ajs1976

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329284

That article is four XP, but should apply to 2003 also. Since it mentions CPU and memory. Trying running the setup with one CPU at a time and switch between the slots. Since you mentioned that they are compaq CPUs I would start there before testing the memory.

rileymartin

Thanks. So you just have to match up the first number in the stop error? I thought you had to match up all the numbers in the brackets as well?

ajs1976

The first number is the most important one. Some of the other numbers refer to memory addresses and could be different each time.

rileymartin

Thanks. I should be able to find some memory to swap out but not the CPUs or voltage regulators. I guess this could also be anything on the motherboard.

ajs1976

Didn't you mention that the system had dual CPUs? Install Windows with just one of them installed in the server, and see if you have any problems.

rileymartin

I removed one CPU and the system wouldn't POST fully. It came up with an error that said system halted, missing CPU.

I tried it twice more removing other CPU and the system just hung during POST.

I double-checked the BIOS and verified there is no way to disable one CPU.

Someone else told me that on these older systems I would need some sort of CPU blank to put in the other CPU socket if I wanted to run it with only one cpu. Unfortunately I don't have any blanks or other CPUs. I will try swapping out memory again. I tried that once before and it didn't help but I'll do it again just to double check everything.

ajs1976

I remember some of the systems having CPU socket covers, but I don't think they did anything besides keep the dust out. If the system had the seperate voltage regulator, did you remove the corresponding one when you removed the CPU?

taktsoi

since you mentioned CPUs are labeled as compaq, would you please check if both STEPPINGS are matched?

Is it also possible for you to get CPU terminator? it is because when you remove one CPU, the empty CPU slot or socket must have the cpu terminator to terminate the signal or system halts.

i also check if memory modules are matched. especially the clock cycle, bus speed, ecc and manufacturer type.

Sounds like hardware issues to me now...........

rileymartin

I checked and there are no voltage regulators. I thought I had forgetten to remove it and opened it back up to check but saw that there were none.

blargoe

Which PERC is installed in your server?

rileymartin

It's a PERC 2/DC. I tried installing with the PERC connected to the drive cage and when I repeatedly had problems and the latest driver didn't help I removed the PERC from the server and re-connected the internal cage to the SCSI-A connector on the motherboard. Had same issue with that as well.

taktsoi

rileymartin wrote:

I checked and there are no voltage regulators. I thought I had forgetten to remove it and opened it back up to check but saw that there were none.

just curious, what do you mean by no VRM? some servers have VRM slot and some servers have VRM builtin. Without one, i doubt a server could pass the post.

BTW, have you ever tried installing 2000 or XP on it? give it a try and see.

rileymartin

The voltage regulators must be built into the motherboard.

I did try installing windows 2000 server and I got the exact same problem at the exact same point. There must be something wrong with either the CPUs or motherboard. I already swapped out the memory, hard drives and tried the SCSI controller on the motherboard. No matter what componenet I swapped out I had the same problem.

taktsoi

rileymartin wrote:

The voltage regulators must be built into the motherboard.

I did try installing windows 2000 server and I got the exact same problem at the exact same point. There must be something wrong with either the CPUs or motherboard. I already swapped out the memory, hard drives and tried the SCSI controller on the motherboard. No matter what componenet I swapped out I had the same problem.

is there any caching settings enabled in either SCSI controller card or motherboard? Turn them off and see. if possible, get a separate video card as well..a low end with 2mb works in troubleshooting.

when you swap memory, is it compatible to the motherboard? especially ECC? dont mix ECC with NON-ECC or it gives you a problem.

and..in my compaq server, the bios has a section called OS section. you are allowed to select your favorable OS that BIOS works with. I choose 2000 to install w2k3. If i choose linux. it fails sometimes.... wanna give it a shot on your side?

don't give up yet. it must be something that we overlook.....

rileymartin

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I looked in the BIOS and there was no setting for OS.

When I used the onboard SCSI controller, there was no caching. Only the add-in PERC controller had cache.

I tried two other sets of memory and neither helped. I even swapped the memory from the bad system to a good system and the good system had no problems.

I may try the video card however I'm not sure there is a setting in the BIOS to disable the onboard video card.

blargoe

Try another OS (or different media for 2003)?

rileymartin

Thanks for the reply.

I tried windows 2000 server and got the same result.

I'm having a different chasis shipped so that'll have a different motherboard & CPUs.

KGhaleon

Any news? I would assume it's the motherboard from your troubleshooting.

KG

blargoe

Probably a hardware problem, but...

When you said you used the latest CD from Dell, did you mean the actual latest CD from Dell (I think they're on version 5.2), or the latest version that works with the 2450 series (4.something)?

seuss_ssues

I skimmed most of that article, but i may have overlooked it.

did you ever try to boot in safe mode?